MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, his French counterpart Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the Ukraine crisis on Friday, stressing the need for a political solution to the conflict in the Donbass, the Kremlin said.

Holding a telephone conversation, they expressed concern over frequent ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine. Putin asked his German and French counterparts "to influence more actively the Ukrainian side" during their planned meetings with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw, the Kremlin said.

The three leaders stressed the need for granting special legal status to eastern Ukraine, holding constitutional reform, an amnesty and local elections, it added.